Day 8 - Pandas!!!

After another restless sleep ... this time due to the humidity ... we were up early to repack, breakfast and be down in the lobby by 8.00 to meet Mary for the day ahead. I had to take a few extra minutes to fix the wild hair, following lying on wet hair and then the humidity which turns my hair into a birds nest.

We met Mary and Mr Hu and headed off to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Pandas. It is a government funded not for profit organisation aimed at protecting and breeding Giant Pandas and Red Pandas.

 

Mary had told us that the Pandas do not like it when the temperature gets above 26⁰ and so we were heading off early to beat the heat and the crowds. I wasn't sure what to expect  ... having anticipated that we may struggle to see the Pandas because I had assumed they would be hiding away or lying in places where you couldn't see them.

Instead we found the park to be beautifully laid out and maintained with the "Panda Villas" providing a balance between habitat for the Pandas and also accessibility for the humans desperate to see them.

As we wandered the park (which is huge ...  just over 3 square km) you pass multiple enclosures, beautiful gardens, avenues of bamboo and plenty of Pandas. Ian kept count, so by his count we saw 30 Giant Pandas and 4 Red Pandas. 

The Pandas are huge, dopey, playful and hungry. We had plenty of opportunity to see them relatively close both on the ground, in the water and up on their bamboo platforms. We watched four panda cubs (about a year old) wrestling and playing, and another attempt to climb down from the tree and almost made it before it plopped onto the ground. 

Mary walked us around the park and allowed us lots of time to watch and take photos ... lots and lots of photos.

 

The beautiful gardens also caught the eye with colourful beds of azaleas,  rhododendrons, snapdragons, delphiniums, lupins and daisies. The tall ... very tall, and thick bamboo trees lining the walks make our bamboo at home look like twigs!

 

Just as we got to the end of our visit the wind began swirling tossing up dust and pollen from the trees. Light spits of rain began and I wondered if we would make it back to the car before the heavens opened. We walked as fast as we could with the crowd beside us, behind us and in front of us and finally emerged out at the roadside.

Mary suggested that we eat at a local restaurant close to the park as we had spent longer in the park than normal (hee hee) and as we needed to get to the station in time for our train she didn't want to make multiple stops. 

So we went to a local restaurant where Mary ordered local Sichuan food for us ... Kung Pao Chicken, a shredded pork and green bean dish, a sweet potato noodle with minced beef and garlic and a massive (MASSIVE) pot of rice.  We also had a jug of warm tea (have no idea what it was).

There was a mountain of food which we did the best to attack ... although we still left a lot behind. All of the dishes were wonderful! So much flavour but not overly spicy (even Ian coped). My favourite was the sweet potato noodles.

And then it was time to head to the station to catch our last bullet train. Mary escorted us through the check in process and then we sent her on her way. She wanted to stay to see us off but we didn't need that so after several last hugs she headed off home again.

We boarded the train, Ian hoisted the luggage up into the overhead racks, recieved our snack and settled in for the short trip (330 kms) to Chongqing.

The trip was so fast that before we had a chance to breathe it was time to grab our bags and get off the train! We made our way through the station, exited at the north exit and then looked around to find our guide. After about 10 minutes we still hadn't made contact so one of the station concierges rang on our behalf. Because our train had come in early she was just making her way in to collect us. 5 minutes later she came running across the concourse to greet us!

We met up with our driver Mr Lu and we were off to explore the ancient city Ciqikou. Clara (our guide) explained about the area, how it was an important port and commercial area in the Ming Dynasty. It is named for the porcelain which was an important component of the trade.

The streets were lined with cobblestones that date back 1700 years. A lot of the buildings have been restored however as they are made of wood that had deteriorated. Food shops, local artisans, souvenirs,  tea shops  ... you name it!

There was a Buddhist temple in the middle of the area and you could see the tower as you walked along. Ian was captured by a young woman (and her mother) who wanted a photo ... real life crocodile Dundee!

 

 

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Leaving behind Ciqikou Mr Lu headed to a railway station north of Chongqing where we would be popped onto a shuttle bus to join our cruise. Because it is the dry season the river is too low for the boat we are on to come to the Chongqing Port. Clara escorted us through the check in  process ... and introduced us to Stephen one of the guides on the boat (she had worked with Stephen in the past).

We have a 2 hr bus ride to the Port where our boat ... the Victoria Jenna is moored. It is wet ... we are making progress. Soon we will be on board.

 

I will end today here. It will be another hour or so before we arrive at Port and then we have to check in  ... along with everyone else. So ... stay tuned tomorrow when I will introduce you to Victoria Jenna.